Council MIN 01-28-2006 Special - Retreat
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL
ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT
28 January 2006
FINAL SUMMARY
Of the Retreat's Key Discussions, Decisions and Agreements
The following is a summary of the key discussions, decisions and agreements ofthe Fedcral Way
City Council at its retreat on Saturday, 28 January 2006.
The retreat included Mayor Mike Park, Deputy Mayor Jim Ferrell, Councilmemhers Jcannc
Burbidge, Jack Dovey, Eric Faison, Linda Kochmar and Dean McColgan, interim City Manager
Derek Matheson, management team membcrs Patrick Briggs, Patrick Doherty, Donna Hanson,
Anne Kirkpatrick, Kathy McClung, Mary McDougal, Pat Richardson, Cary Roe and Iwen Wang,
rCMA Fellow Christina Smith, and approximately a dozen citizens of the City.
A REVIEW OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2005
We reviewed our accomplishments of the past year and cited the f()lIowing as most illlpressive
and as those in which we take the greatest pride. There was no effort to reach consensus on these
items; this list is a composite ofthe individual comments of the Council.
. Thc Community Center;
. City Center redevelopment strategy, including the creation of the $5 million investment ruml;
. 'fhe Leland Group study;
. purchasing Camp Kilworth;
. finishing things we started rather than letting initiatives just linger;
. eHkiently coming together as a Council on economic development;
. creating and maintaining a politically stable and united Council; and
. stepping over a threshold to finish the business of our first years as a City to launch new initiatives and
take our work to the next higher level.
OUR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS FOR THE CITY
We also articulated what we would like to achieve for the City betlxe leaving office, and the
following is thc composite list of our aspirations. There was no effort to try to reach consensus
on them as each one reflects a Councilmember's aspiration.
. develop a building to serve the homeless;
. create in downtown a park and/or lifestyle retai I;
. change the image orthe City in how it addresses and deals with development proposals;
.. create a sense of place in downtown so that it has a distinctive identity;
. identify and address the unique needs of our neighborhoods;
.. ensure the City is better than when we found it, and that both the City and its residcnts arc getting what
they need;
. make the City even more rcspected across the region;
. create a positive tone for a "grown up" city;
. make more strides in cOllllllunications between the residents of Federal Way and City government;
. ensure the City lives "within its means" and that there is a tradition or being fiseally conservative with
taxpayers' money; and
.. improve customer service so that anyone selected randomly off the street would say that hcr/llis last
interaction with City government was positive.
COUNCIL ApPROVES NEW VISION, MISSION AND GOALS STATEMENTS
With the assistance of our management team, we synthesized our existing vision and Inission
statements to create streamlined vcrsions, and then reached agreelllent on six goals as well as
reiterated our kcy values as a City. We also rcachcd agrecmcnt on adding a sixth goal, one which
addresses how wc collaborate with othcr jurisdictions at thc local, rcgional, slale and federal
Icvels to leveragc funds so that our citizcns gct more tor thcir dollar, so that wc provide regional
leadership and so that wc influence regional and state decisions to ensure they serve the best
interests of our community. We directed stafl to: a) revielv these items to ensure that the wore!.s
flow slr/oothly; and b) incorporate the above concepts into a sixth goal andpresent it to us.
Vision:
Federal Way is a safe, attractive cOll1munity known for its cultural diversity, vibrant parks and
strong neighborhoods and business centers.
Mission:
The City of Federal Way is responsive, innovativc and fiscally responsible in delivering quality
services, promoting economic development, improving infrastructure and managing growth.
Goals:
. Integrate the public safety strategy into all facets of City operations, building on a strong
community-hased approach.
. Crcate a multi-use urban City center that is pedestrian friendly, linked to neighborhoods and
parks, and serves as the social and cconomic hub ofthe City.
. Establish Federal Way as an economic leader and job center in South King Countv by
attracting a regional market for high quality office and retail business.
. Updatc the capital facilities plan and provide financing options for transportation and surface
water improvements, parks, recreation, cultural arts public facilitics.
. Ensure a responsive service culture within the City organization where employees listen
carefully, treat citizens and each othcr rcspcctfully and solvc problems crcatively, efficiently
and proactivcly.
. ('ollaboration and regional leadership
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Values:
Service
Pride
Integrity
Responsibility
Innovation
Tcamwork
COUNCIL REAFFIRMS DIRECTION FORli:CONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
To summarize our conversation about City-wide economic develoPll1ent and, lnorc specifically,
the redevelopment of City Center, wc reaffirmed our consensus on the direction we have charted
over the past three or four years.
Somc ofthe key findings or themes from our discussion included:
. City government is working on economic development initiatives and projects across the
City, including in our neighborhoods, even as much of our discussion in the past few years
has focused on the redevelopment of City Center. We need to demonstrate to our residents
how our investments in the City Center will benefit the neighborhoods.
. We need to continually communicate with our citizens about our vision and goals and the
actions we are taking to achieve them. We can always inlprove what and how we
communicate with our residents, and thc mechanisms wc offer thcnl to ccnnrnunicate with the
City. We must also be practical and realistic by communicating what the City cannot do. Wc
are committed to continuous improvement in communicating with our citizens.
. We need to bc flexible to take advantage or new, unanticipated opportunities, and we need to
incorporate into our processes continuous learning. By this we mean that we need to
periodically evaluatc what we are doing, why we are doing it and if we arc achieving the
intendcd results. If not, we need to bc flexible enough to rcfine our goals and/or methods.
. While we are proud of the framework we have put in place and strides made in 2005 to begin
to implement our vision, we see 2006 as the year to begin seeing results.
We want to work to entice a developer to take on a project in downtown and to work with the
City to make our vision a reality. To see results we should also: develop criteria ror how we
will invest the $5 million fund we created last year; develop critcria Ihr determining under
what circumstances we will add to the fund; address the issue of parking at the transit ccntcr;
and address Sound Transit's request for an eighteen-month extension to commencc a TOO
project east of the transit center if the results of that agency's negotiations with the King
County Library result in a new library not being built on that site.
. We also need to learn from other cities' experiences to help us more clearly define our rolc
and to expedite our choice of strategies implementing our economic development vision and
goals. For example, some cities in our area have chosen to become propcrty owners to use
that leverage to significantly redevelop their urban cores. Is this a viable option Illr our C:ity?
. llow will we know when we have done enough to achieve our vision and goals?
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During the discussion some specific ideas were ofIerecl as actions that could bc takcn in the future
to implement our vision. They included: provide Council with reports from staff summarizing
meetings with developers and others involved in economic dcvelopment; video tape the
upcoming workshop that the City will sponsor in which we explore morc decply the meaning and
definitions of public-private partnerships; create a Downtown Association; and enforce codes
with an eye on the neighborhoods' perspectives.
At Eric Faison's request, we offered some suggestions le)r items to place on his Economic
Dcvclopll1ent Committec in 2006. They included:
. Develop the indicators or criteria to be able to answcr the questions "Havc we done enough?"
. Work to influence legislation in Olympia that affects local government econOll1ic vitality.
. As a standing item on the Committee's agenda, update Committcc members and the public on
the latcst developments.
. Host a developers' forum to communicate what the City is doing and to solicit idcas l1'om
them.
. I-lost a "big event" for all landowners in the City Center in which Patrick Doherty presents his
work and we all "get on the same page" in tcrms of undcrstanding the City's vision and goals
and the actions it wants to take to achieve them, and we gain an even better understanding of
their interests and the issues and challenges facing them.
OUR INTERESTS AS WI!; BEGIN THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE 2007 BUDGET
As a result of the preliminary discussion about the 2007 budget, it became clear that we all share
three interests: 1) put into place long-tel'ln solutions, rather than lnorc expedient, casier, short-
term solutions; 2) develop and adherc to a set of priorities that reflect our vision, mission and
goals; and 3) if we decide to submit a funding measure to the voters, demonstrate to them that it is
in thc City's best interests, in part by illustrating what cuts would need to be made in services and
in the level of servicc ihhe measure is not approved.
We briefly reviewcd the process of Ie red by staff for developing the 2007 budget and indicated a
willingncss to consider going to the voters as a strategy to generate rcvenucs. If wc do so, one
issue that must be addressed is the role of advocacy groups in providing "third party validation"
tor our proposal.
Staff will schedule a Spring study scssion to answer questions that we poscd regarding the budget
and budgct development proccss, including the till1elincs and dcadlines with which we must
comply if we decide to submit any ballot measures to the electorate.
STATE Ll<;GISLATION'S FATE MA Y HELl> DETERMINE NEXT MOVES ON ANNEXATIONS
After reviewing and discussing a white paper provided by staff on alternatives for proceeding or
not proceeding to consider future annexations, we reached agreement to rcvisit the issue this
Spring after the current legislativc session adjourns and we know the fatc of a piecc or legislation
that could make annexing additional neighborhoods a more urgent matter.
The legislature is currently considering a proposal that would provide state funding fCll' ten years
to cities whcn the latter annex neighborhoods with a total of 10,000 or llIore citizens. Passage of
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this proposed legislation could provide an incentive for our City to soon submit to the voters of
Star Lakc, Camelot and/or North Lakc an anncxation measure.
We agreed to track the status of this proposed legislation and discuss the potential annexation of
any of or all these three neighborhoods once we know thc fate of the proposal. After the
legislature acts on the proposal, staff will bring the issue back before us. Failure of the proposed
legislation to be passed and enacted into law will not prcclude us from proceeding, but we arc
interested in Icarning if the State may providc this Financial incentive to proceed sooner rather
than latcr on annexation.
COUNCIL AGREES ON A STRATEGY TO ENGAGE POLICE BARGAINING UNITS
As a result of our discussion about public safety and working collahoratively with thc bargaining
units which reprcsent our police officers and rclatcd public safety workers, we reached agreement
on Option A of thc three options offered by staff for engaging the representatives of thosc
bargaining units in a dialoguc. We therefore agreed to use an "interest-bascd" approach, one in
which both thc City and the police bargaining units will articulate their respective interests and
then identify their mutual interests before dcvcloping positions. We also agreed to include all
seven Councilmcmbers, the police bargaining units' leadership, bargaining unit members and
staff in the initial meeting, which mcans that the meeting will be opcn to the public.
In reaching agreement on Option A, we recognize that the City Managcr is submitting the three
options to thc leadership of the police bargaining units to dctcrmine which option they are most
comt'l1ftable pursuing. Once Derek has heard back from them, they and we wi I I reach a mutual
agreemcnt on how best to pursue the dialogue we all want to have on this subjcct.
During thc discussion these key findings emerged:
. Public safety is an extrell1ely high priority fClr the City, which is demonstrated by thc Icvcl of
funding that the City has provided for public safcty sincc incorporation.
. A long-term strategy for funding public safety that is phased in ovcr a period of time is
needcd. One reason for that is bccausc the staffing model we are currently using, given
limited rcsources, provides the minimum level of resources we need. To get closer to thc
"ideal" Icvel, the City needs approximately eight to ten more police officers, and a staffing
model that accounts for such things as attrition to ensurc that the level of public safety
resourccs does not fall below the minimum of what is needed.
.. Another reason for developing a long-term strategy: I n contrast to cities such as Kent, wh ich
built its police force around new officcrs who were recruited right out of school or the Police
^cademy, rederal Way needed to build a more experienced f<)fce whcn it assumed public
safety responsibilities from King County. Thus, a significant percentage of our policc
officers are likely to retire in thc near-term future, lcaving us with a higher than usual
vacancy rate. To address this situation over the long-term and achieve our interest in having
sufficient rcsources on the street protecting our citizens, we need to balance the recruitmcnt
of people ncw to police work with that of experienced officers who make lateralnloves horn
other police forces to come to work for us.
.. Attracting police officers to work for Federal Way is not just an issuc of the Icvel of salary,
although it is in the City's interests to cnsurc that it offers competitive salaries and benefits.
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The work environment is also a major factor in our ability to recruit and maintain thenl. In
thc region Federal Way is known as a place in which police otlicers are overworkcd. Staffing
levels and other work environment issues need to be addressed, too, to cnsure sufficient
rcsources and maintain a high quality workforce.
. Some COLlnciln1elnhers believe that it would be best to submit to the voters a public safety
measure as the way to ensure adequate funding of City scrviees because it would have the
best odds of being approved hy the voters.
Whilc there was no attempt to create a consensus around this suggcstion, it was proposed that the
City staff develop a three to five-year plan for funding public safety at an "ideal" level.
SOME ADDITIONAL ISSUES WERE BRIEFLY MENTIONED
During thc last half-hour of the retreat, a few additional issues wcrelllcntioned, and suggestions
made for how to address them. 'fbere was no effort to reach agreement anlOng us on a course of
action, yct these issues could be on the Council's agenda in the next few years.
Housing ami homelessness: The Hllll1an Services Consolidated Plan is a likely vchicle for
addressing this issue. Review of that plan is likely to be on the agenda ofFHSRAC. Suggestions
were made that the City address teenagc hOlllclessness and work to eliminate substandard
housing.
Pedestrian .w~/'ety: Council members sce a necd in neighborhoods for morc sidewalks and hetter
lighting. One suggestion was made to conduct a survey of rcsidents to determine if pedcstrian
safety is a high concern and major priority. The staff is planning to bring to Council a list of
funding criteria. The funding would come from the Pedestrian Safety Fund that the Council
establishcd.
Tran.\1}() rtatio n: An interest in transportation levels of service was exprcssed, as \vell as in
looking at a "hub" system. In response, Cary Roe mentioned that Public Works staff will in 2006
submit to Council a concurrency ordinance that will help infonn and innuence capital priorities
fe)/" transportation.
Council re!ation.\': Mayor Park stated his intention to begin inviting two d i fTerent
Councihllembers to join him and Derek once per month when thcy meet to discuss important and
UpCOIll ing City issues. By rotating Councilmembers at thcse meetings, the Mayor hopcs to keep
the entire Council informed and involved. We also brieny discussed avoiding becoming divided
by pmiisan political philosophies, and continuing to work together in the non-partisan fashion that
is our tradition at the local government level here in Federal Way.
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